And one-half



F. M. HENSHAW] SPRING CUSHION.

APPucATmM. FILED-mm. 1. 1919.

1 ,$325,092. Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

wuentoz UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

FRED MONTGOMERY HENS'HAW, OF LAKEYACHAELES, LOUISIANA, V.ASSIGNOROIVONIEI-` HALF TO GEORGE WILLIAM CLINE, OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA, ANDONE-HALF TO ERLE N. R. HENSHAW, 0F HOUSTON TEXAS.

SEEING-CUSHION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed March 1, wie.V serial No. 280,090.

'new and useful Improvements in Spring- Cushions, of which the followingis a specilication, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings.

This invention relates to spring cushion- Y ing devices, andparticularly to cushioning devices wherein the cushioning effect issecured by the expansion of a coiled contractilek Seine'- The generalob]ect of my invention is to provide a spring cushioning device which ymay be used for a large number of difierent cushioningl purposes, inmachines, furniture, and in many other different situations.

And a further obj ect is to provide a dev ice of this character for thepurpose of obtaining a cushioning` effect between two parts or objectsby the use of a coiled contractile spring arranged in the form of anannulus and which is radially expanded by the movement of said partsrelatively toward each other and contracted upon the release of pressureon said parts.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is a vertical sectional view of a cushioning device constructed inaccordance with my invention; n

Fig. Q, is a like view to Fig. 1, but showing the cushioning devicecompressed;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig, 1, but withthe disk 16 partly broken away;

Fig. is a vertical sectional view of a modified forni of the cushionshown in Fig. 1. Y Y Y In these drawings, 15 and 16 designate two partsor members which are to be normally held apart, but which are adaptedunder pressure or strain to be moved toward each other. The member 16 isflat and diskshaped in the embodiment illustrated, while the member 15is tapered or semi-conical, the small end ofthe member 15 being'disposed toward the member 16. Extending from the member 16 is acentrally disposed post 17, as it may be termed, which extends throughan opening in the center of the member 15 and is provided with a head 18larger in diameter than said central opening and which, when the partsare expanded, bears against the side wall of the member l5 an PatentedDec. 16, 1919.

appreciable distancefrom` the opening .of

the member 15. k

Surrounding the connecting member 17 or Ypost and urging the members 15and 16V apart, is a coiled spring 19 ywhich is first bent in a circle sothat the spring forms a spring are brought together and faced andthenwrapped with wire, as at 20, or these coiled to forni the usualhelix andV isthen confronting ends'of the -spring may be conne'cted toeach other in any other desired manner. It will be seen thatwith thisconstruction the coils of the'spring are disposed radially relative tothe central post 17 and that the tapering or conical upper surface ofthe member 15 is engaged by thesecoils of the spring. Now it will beobvious that when the members 15 and 16 are forced toward each other,the conical or tapering face of the member 15 will act to expand thespring by urging the coils thereof radially and that as soonas pressureis released, the coils will contract and exert a wedgng action upon thecentrally inclined or tapering inner surface of the member 15, thusurging the member 15 outward on the post 17 until the head 18 has a firmbearing upon the inner face of the member 15.

It will be obvious that the member 15 must be tapered, and it will beobvious that' as illustrated in Fig. 4 both the members 15 and 16 may betapered if the spring is of suflicient size, .and that provision must bemade for the movement of the post 17 or connecting member, but thatAotherwise than this the members 15, 16, andV 17 may be constructed inmany different ways to secure a cushioning effect kbetween manydifferent parts.

This spring cushion may be. used as a spring for the seats of chairs Vorseats of automobiles, or `as bed springs. This device can also be usedas means for holding valves l. A cushioning device including twoelements movable toward or Jfrom each other,

one ot said elements having a centrally tapered face confronting theother element,

and a coiled contractile spring disposed bev tween the two elements and:formed into an annulus concentric to the axis or' the two elements,said spring acting against the tapering face of said element so that a.movement of said elements toward each other will cause the spring to beexpanded against its tension.

2. A spring cushion including two coacting elements movable toward orfrom each other, one or said elements having a centrally tapered innerface, means limiting the outward movement of the elements relative toeach other, and a radially elastic annnlus disposed so as to surround`the axis ot said tapered member so that when said tapered member is mved toward the other member it will expand the anniilns.

3. A spring cushion comprising two elements, one of said elements havingacentrally tapered :tace confronting the other element, a centrallydisposed headed member engaging the two elements and restricting theirmovement away trom each other but permitting movement toward each other,and a resilient annulns composed of a helicially coiled springsurrounding said connecting mem-V ber resiliently urging both of saidelements away trom each other, said tapered ace extending into thecentral opening of the annulus and exerting an outward wedging actionthereon in all directions when said elements are moved toward eachother.

4. A cushioning spring comprising a disklilre element having a centrallydisposed post, an element having a central opening through which thepost loosely7 passes, said element being concavo-convex land having itsconvex side confronting the disk-shaped element and said convex sidebeing substantially tapered centrally, the post having a head at oneextremity disposed within the tapered element and limiting the movementof' said elements away from each other, and an annnliis disposedconcentric to the post and formed of a helically coiled spring, thetapered tace or" said element being movable into the central opening ofthe annulus so as to expand the coiled spring when the elements aremoved toward each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses. FRED MONTGOMERY HENSHAW. Witnesses: Y

Loins B. S'rotrr, BEN S. RYAN.

